Singing In Harmony (and enjoying it)

When we sing together, not only do we feel good; we create a community. We do that by actively listening to our own sound and to other voices.

One of the big challenges of singing is staying present for the sound.

In a culture that is constantly distracted by being ‘virtually present’ with constant text messages, phone calls, facebook and twitter feeds… in singing we get the opportunity to be present with melody and harmony.

What is melody?
Melody is the part you can hum, sing, or whistle that makes up the song.

What is harmony?
The harmony is the part of the music that ‘supports’ the melody. I describe it as ‘colouring in’ the melody. It can communicate if the song is happy or sad, even without being able to understand the words.

Most people with some experience of singing made their start at school, or at church. As a singing teacher, of course I’ve heard the stories of people being told to ‘mouth the words’ and not sing at all! We’re either encouraged or discouraged to continue singing at certain points in our lives.

One of the questions I get asked most, as a singing teacher, is ‘Can anyone sing?’

There’s a simple answer to this:

We get better at the things we do more of.

So what’s the easiest way to begin the habit of singing with others?

Having fun, and joining a group that is a good fit for you is a good start. Well that and also, I think it’s essential to be in close proximity of somewhere you can drink coffee/tea or wine/beer and eat food. Because when you sing with others…well, singers have a tendency to talk!

It’s good to have that happen somewhere close by your rehearsal room so that when you’re singing, that’s what you can put 100% focus on.